


Letters and Love Attained

by AshJuillet



Series: Challenges [56]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Book 6: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, F/M, Hogwarts, Love Confessions, Secret Admirer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-17 01:48:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29959128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AshJuillet/pseuds/AshJuillet
Summary: When Hermione starts receiving letters from a secret admirer, she thinks it's just a prank. But when the admirer asks to meet her at the Astronomy Tower, she gets the surprise of her life.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Neville Longbottom
Series: Challenges [56]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2108157
Kudos: 13





	Letters and Love Attained

The tawny-brown school owl landed on her bedpost the moment Hermione exited the bathroom, a macaroon-cream envelope tied to its leg. She dried her hair with her towel and walked over to untie it. Lavender and Parvati were still asleep, the former probably dreaming of her  _ precious _ Won-Won.

Hermione was proven right when Lavender shifted in her sleep and mumbled a weak, “Tha’ tickles, Won-Won.”

Rolling her eyes, she turned back to the letter and smoothened it, unfolding it to read.

_ Dear Hermione,  _

_ There’s always a beautiful day to look forward to, and with every rising of the sun, my heart, my body, my soul and my mind crave your love. For  _ you _ , I want to live. With  _ you _ , I want to spend the rest of my life. I always feel special whenever you’re with me, and for as long as there’s breath in me, I will never stop cherishing you. _

_ You must be wondering who I am, but I cannot tell you that so easily. For that, you must read The Passionate Shepherd to His Love by Christopher Marlowe. _

_ Love,  _

_ Your secret admirer. _

Hermione reread the letter with a furrowed brow, trying to figure out who could have sent it to her. As far as she knew, Christopher Marlowe was a Muggle poet and a contemporary of Shakespeare. Therefore, it must be either a Muggleborn or a Half-Blood who’d written to her.

Although she was interested in literature, poems weren’t her forte. Still, her curiosity was piqued and she immediately left the dorm room to go to the library. Downstairs, she found Neville who was busy scribbling on a piece of parchment. When he saw her, his eyes lit up.

“Hermione! You’re up!” he cried, jumping up to his feet and running over to her side. 

Hermione smiled up at him and said, “Good morning, Neville. What are you doing up so early?”

Neville shrugged. “Couldn’t sleep, so I thought I’d do my Potions essay.”

Hermione thought that he would ask her to stay back to help him, but instead, he waved her off and walked back to the table. When she turned her head to look back at him, there was a soft smile on his face as he gazed at his Potions essay.  _ That’s unusual for him. _

* * *

In the Astronomy Tower, Hermione didn’t realise a small smile had formed on her lips as she waited for her secret admirer to reveal himself, thinking about that day. She had found the poem in a library book, and her eyes had widened at how sweet it was.

_ And I will make thee beds of Roses _

_ And a thousand fragrant posies, _

_ A cap of flowers, and a kirtle _

_ Embroidered all with leaves of Myrtle;* _

The stanza echoed in her mind, and Hermione silently mouthed the words as she stood gazing at the Forbidden Forest. The leaves rustled in the breeze, and Hermione was suddenly reminded of the second letter she had received just a week later.

Pulling out the small stack of letters from her pocket, Hermione found the aforementioned letter. The poem the admirer had referenced was  _ Winds of Autumn,  _ and the simple yet profound meaning behind the lines had caused Hermione’s heart to skip a beat. And as she began to read it again, her heart began to beat erratically once again.

_ Dear Hermione,  _

_ There’s this thing that holds my heart down whenever I think of you—I would have called it love, but there isn’t a language in the world that can name it. The day we first met, I never thought how important you’d be to me, but how was I to know you’d mean the world to me? _

_ Even in a person most times indifferent to things around him they waken feelings the first winds of autumn.* _

_ Love,  _

_ Your secret admirer. _

The letters had confused her. The clues as to who he was were in the poems and small mentions of how much she’d helped him come into his own, but Hermione hadn’t seen them. 

She had always assumed Ron would ask her out one day, and they’d live happily ever after. But when he had started dating Lavender, Hermione’s hopes—or were they the public’s expectations?—had come crashing to the ground. 

Hermione pressed her back to the wall and slid down, her eyes scanning the beautifully worded lines. She began to go through all his letters, which contained snippets of their combined past and references to poems that were full of adoration and love—poems that revealed his true feelings for her because he wasn’t good at communication.

_ Without you, I don’t know where I would be today, and I must say that it was your support that made me the person I now am... _

_ And the sunlight clasps the earth, and the moonbeams kiss the sea: what is all this sweet work worth if thou kiss not me?* _

_...there’s a need to let you know that you take up the most special place in my heart. Ever since I met you, you’ve held my heart in your hands... _

_ If I had a flower for every time I thought of you, I could walk in my garden forever. _

_ She listened with a flitting blush, with downcast eyes and modest grace; for well she knew, I could not choose but gaze upon her face. * _

_...You’ve given me so many things in life, but if I could give you one thing, I would give you the ability to see yourself through my eyes. Only if you used Legilimency, you’d realize how special you are to me… _

Just then, there was a scuffling sound from behind, and Hermione whirled around and let out a soft gasp.

“Hey, Hermione,” the boy murmured, walking over to her. “Um, thanks for meeting me here… Now that you know it’s me, would you… would you like to go out with me sometime?”

Hermione couldn’t believe her eyes. It should have been a clear sign that it was  _ he _ who had written her the letters.

His wet hair was plastered to his forehead, almost concealing his eyes, and his whole body radiated sadness and defeat. “I’m sorry if I got your hopes up,” he murmured, his head lowered. “I didn’t know how to tell you how I feel, so I just looked for poems that could… I did the best I could to impress you… It’s just me.”

Hermione didn’t know what to say. When she had received the letter, asking her to meet in the Astronomy Tower, a place where lovers from all over Hogwarts united, she most certainly hadn’t been expecting  _ him _ of all people, but whom  _ had _ she been expecting? The truth was… she hadn’t expected anyone. She had assumed it was just a terrible prank. An elaborate prank, yes, but a terrible one, as it had made her  _ feel  _ things she had never felt before.

“I’ll just… I’ll just go… I’m sorry for disappointing you,” the boy opposite her whispered, tears forming in his eyes at her lack of reply. He tried to wipe them away subtly, but Hermione saw the motion and a pang of guilt coursed through her.

His shoulders slumped, and he walked past her towards the stairs, leaving Hermione to close her eyes and think of the situation. The sound of his shoes clicking on the narrow stairs made her want to call out to him to stop, but she was a logical person. She would have to think about her feelings before she made any life-altering decision... because she knew that with  _ him _ , it  _ would _ change her life.

Hermione turned towards the large window, gazing out at the Great Lake below. The tall mountains in the distance reared into the sky and emblazoned their reflections on the lake. The surface of the lake glittered like fairy dust under the snowflake-silver stars in the night sky. The water was as clear as cellophane, enabling Hermione to see down into its depths, but it contrasted with her own hazy and confused thoughts.

A lone owl flew over the mountains towards the Owlery in the distance, hooting as it passed by the Astronomy Tower, but Hermione didn’t pay much mind to it. She was too busy trying to reflect on her past interactions with her secret admirer. Sighing, she leaned over and breathed in the thin and crisp air.

She had hurt him. She hadn’t rejected him outright, but she hadn’t responded to his question either. His presence had confused her and she hadn’t reacted properly, and now, he was gone. Waves of guilt washed over Hermione, and she shot to her feet, scrambling to gather the letters in her arms.

Decision made; she knew just what to do. 

Okay, that was a lie. She didn’t know  _ how _ to make it up to him, but she knew what she wanted. She might not be  _ in _ love with him yet, but she wanted him. That was something she was hundred per cent sure about.

Hermione sprinted to the stairs and was about to run down when  _ he _ appeared near the top of the stairs. His eyes widened when he saw her. “You’re still here?”

Hermione’s breath hitched at the hopeful glint in his eyes. Just the thought that this was the boy who had spent hours searching for the perfect poems to write in his letters caused butterflies to flutter in her stomach. 

Uncharacteristically, she dropped the letters to the ground and threw her arms around his neck. He stumbled backwards and cried out in fear, trying to grab hold of her waist and the handrail to steady himself. “Merlin, Hermione! What—”

Now that he was there in front of her, all her ideas vanished. Instead of giving him a heartfelt speech of how she felt, she opted to do the one thing he hadn’t been expecting.

She kissed him.

There wasn’t a moment of hesitation. Her lips crashed against his, but it was Hermione who stopped breathing. He shuddered, and a low moan escaped from the back of his throat. Shivers of pleasure shot through Hermione because then… 

Then, his lips parted, and he kissed her back. He placed his hand on the back of Hermione’s head, running his fingers through her brown curls, deepening the kiss by parting her lips.

Hermione stopped thinking. She sealed the minuscule space between them, pressing against his surprisingly strong chest, digging her fingers into his blond hair, soft and silky. As his tongue caressed hers, Hermione’s heart swelled to the point of near bursting. The rush of sensations surging her body was maddening. Scary, yet  _ thrilling _ .

Hermione’s whole body tingled. The feel of his frame leaning against hers as his arms reached down to wrap around her felt nearly forbidden, raw emotion evident in the way his fingers curled around her waist. 

Every breath Hermione took smelled like Earl Grey tea, the same she had noticed him drinking that very afternoon. And for the first time since she’d met him on the Hogwarts Express, he didn’t feel shy. If anything, he was more confident, self-assured in his abilities.

When they finally separated for air, Hermione’s cheeks tinged pink at the goofy smile on his face. His smile widened at her reaction, and he said, “What was that all about?”

“That was an apology for my earlier reaction,” Hermione said, trying to compose herself. It was a bit difficult as his arms were still firmly wrapped around her and her heart was still pounding.

“Does that mean…” he trailed off hopefully, and Hermione shyly nodded.

“I’m sorry I didn’t answer you then. My mind was a jumbled mess, and I couldn’t think clearly when you were staring at me like that, and I didn’t want to hurt you, but I’m sure I did, and I—”

It was his turn to interrupt her by stealing a sweet kiss.

“Apology accepted,” he whispered, gazing at her with eyes full of adoration.

“I know I’m probably a handful, but… would you please ask me out again?” Hermione asked, her head lowered demurely.

“Will you go out with me to Hogsmeade as more than friends, Hermione Granger?” He sounded much more confident than the first time he had asked her out, and Hermione’s heart swelled with delight.

“Yes, I will, Neville.” She stood up on her tiptoes to kiss his nose. “Thank you for your letters. I loved them so much.”

“And I love  _ you _ ,” Neville whispered. “You don’t have to say it back unless you feel the same… I’m happy to wait for you. I’ve waited for six years, haven’t I?”

After she had gathered the precious letters, the two of them made their way down the stairs of the Astronomy Tower. Hermione glanced down at their entwined hands and smiled. Although she had gone to the Tower expecting to be let down by a malicious prankster, she was leaving it with a boy she trusted… or more importantly, a boy she could easily picture giving her heart to.

* * *

Poems used:

_ She listened with a flitting blush, with downcast eyes and modest grace; for well she knew, I could not choose but gaze upon her face. —  _ Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s  _ Love. _

_ And the sunlight clasps the earth, and the moonbeams kiss the sea: what is all this sweet work worth if thou kiss not me? — _ Percy Bysshe Shelley’s _ Love’s Philosophy _

_ Even in a person most times indifferent to things around him they waken feelings the first winds of autumn. —  _ Saigyo’s _ Winds of Autumn _

_ And I will make thee beds of Roses _

_ And a thousand fragrant posies, _

_ A cap of flowers, and a kirtle _

_ Embroidered all with leaves of Myrtle; — _ Christopher Marlowe’s  _ The Passionate Shepherd to his Love _


End file.
